Exhibition highlights Xizang culture, contemporary life

The newly opened “Creation in Harmonious Unity: Shenzhen-Xizang Exchange Exhibition of Art Works” marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xizang Autonomous Region.

The exhibition features 120 works — traditional Chinese paintings, oil paintings, prints, and watercolors — drawn from the collections of the Guan Shanyue Art Museum and the Xizang Art Museum, alongside newly created pieces.

A poster of the exhibition hangs outside Guan Shanyue Art Museum. Photos courtesy of the organizers

Visitors observe paintings at the exhibition.

The Xizang Autonomous Region and Xizang areas in Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces have long inspired artists with their stunning landscapes, distinctive cultures, and rich histories. Since the 1950s, many artists have produced works exploring themes of ethnic unity, economic development, and reform, creating a significant body of classic works that continue to influence younger generations.

Heavily colored canvas paintings, which originated in the 1950s, constitute a distinctive genre that blends traditional thangka, murals, and gongbi painting with Western realist and modern styles. These works not only showcase Xizang’s rich culture but also reflect its social changes and the innovative spirit of the artists. 

A visitor admires paintings at the exhibition.

Xizang-themed Paintings at the exhibition.

Today, their themes are more diverse and have gained international recognition. Contemporary Xizang-themed paintings increasingly fuse tradition with modernity: artists move beyond depicting landscapes and cultural motifs to explore everyday life and emotional experience, creating a dialogue between past and present and expanding the possibilities for Xizang-themed art in a contemporary context.

A visitor admires paintings at the exhibition.

Visitors observe paintings at the exhibition.

Dates: Through Oct. 31

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays (Open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays)

Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Futian District (关山月美术馆)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit F2